An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is an aircraft which flies without a pilot on board. Rather, the UAV operates in accordance with a preprogrammed flight plan, in accordance with direction from a ground control station (GCS), or in accordance with both.
One conventional approach to launching a UAV is for a human to hand throw the UAV into the air. In this approach, the UAV is relatively small and the human typically stands up and throws the UAV horizontally or in a slightly upward direction to supply the UAV with initial height, lift and speed.
Another conventional approach to launching a UAV is for a team of humans to park a trailer-sized or desk-sized UAV launcher so that the UAV launcher aims into the wind. In this approach, the UAV is relatively large and heavy. The team of humans mounts the UAV onto the UAV launcher, and launches the UAV up and into the wind. Here, the UAV receives initial launch speed from the operation of pneumatics, hydraulics, and/or cables of the UAV launcher.